


She Knew

by angelCastiel



Category: Lost
Genre: F/M, Step-Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:16:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9527366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelCastiel/pseuds/angelCastiel
Summary: All along, Shannon knew how Boone felt about her. But it wasn't until recently she realized she might feel the same way.





	

“Boone?”

Boone's eyes fluttered open. At first, all he could see was blurred darkness. He blinked a few times, his eyesight adjusting. Every time he woke up, Boone forgot for a second where he was. For a moment or two, he forgot about the plane crash, and the island. He forgot about Locke and the hatch, Claire and Ethan, everything. But after those few moments are up, it all comes crashing back.

He's lying on his back, facing the treetops. It would seem rather peaceful, under other circumstances.

_“Boone?”_ Shannon repeats, more forcefully this time. Boone turns over on his side, propping himself up on his elbow. Shannon is lying a foot or so away. Boone glances around – everyone else around them is soundly sleeping. 

“What's wrong?” Boone asks, because there is always something wrong. Hearing his name coming from Shannon's mouth is synonymous with trouble in his mind. Whether it's a big bad boyfriend, money problems, or, more recently, fishing for a meal, Shannon needed his help to take care of it. It was something he openly resented about her, but… at the same time, inwardly he grew accustomed to it. That was his role in life – Shannon's protector. Her helper. Her brother.

“Why does something have to be wrong?” Boone realizes that she doesn't mean to sound so curt and above-it-all all the time. Or at least, even if she means to, she doesn't really feel that way. He's known her long enough to know that. But still, it's hard to ignore her tone when she turns everything into a fight.

“Go to sleep, Shannon.” Boone sighs. He's about to turn back around but she stops him.

“Boone, wait. I can't sleep,” She whispers to him, her arm subconsciously stretching out closer towards him. “I can't sleep.”

Their parents got married when Boone was ten, and Shannon was eight, so Boone only knew her for the end of her childhood, before she grew into the teenage bitch he grew to love. But in those few years of innocence, he had come to her many times late at night, saying the same thing. I can't sleep.

It was so much simpler back then. There were no hidden, confusing feelings getting in between them. She could crawl into his bed, and he could curl his arm around her, and nothing would feel more natural. But now, if he were to do the same thing… it would be weird. In fact, it had already got weird before they got on that plane.

“What do you want me to do about that?” Of course, he knew what he wanted to do, but he pushed that aside. He couldn't think about that anymore. He had to try and push those feelings out of his head because they were wrong and weird and… they were impossible to ignore.

“I guess nothing,” Shannon rolled over, turning her back to him. Boone felt a pang of guilt in his chest, and an even more powerful longing to go over to her, to hold her. But instead, he followed her suit, and turned the other way. He closed his eyes once more, and tried to focus on more pressing issues. 

Behind him, he heard someone stirring. He was about to investigate when he felt someone press against his back. “Shannon?”

“ _Shh..._ ” She laid her chin on his shoulder, and Boone could feel her breath on his ear. Her fingers pushed gently through his hair, exposing more skin on his neck. 

“Shannon, no...” He said, but he made no attempt to push her away. And when her warm, soft lips pressed on his neck, he didn't pull away, either. “I thought you said you wanted things to go back to normal?” He whispered, careful not to wake anyone else up.

“Look around us, Boone. There is no normal. Not here.” Shannon noticed Boone's feelings for her a long time ago. Back when they were teenagers. She thought it was harmless, and cute. Something bound to die out once he grew up, and started to have real relationships. So she used it to her advantage. She used it to get what she wanted out of him.

And time when on. They got older, but things didn't change. She still noticed his lingering touch, his watchful eye. She could see the jealously in his face when she mentioned a new boyfriend, and the relief in his eyes when they broke up. Whenever she was in trouble, no matter what she did, or whether or not it was her fault, he came to her. Her father was dead, and her step-mother didn't seem to care. But Boone… Boone never failed her. Not once.

All those years, she never loved him back. At least, she didn't think she did. But when he came for her in Australia, and found out she had scammed him… she thought she had lost him for good. And yet, when she came to his hotel room, he let her in. He let her into his room, his life, his pants. And the next morning, when she fully came to terms with what they had done, she knew it. She loved him too.

But that was not acceptable. His love for her was cute – it was childish and susceptible. But if she shared those feelings… it was different. She was in some serious _shit_ , and she wasn't mature enough to handle it. So she pushed those feelings aside, and told Boone to go back to the way things were.

Boone turned back to face her. Their lips so close together, they were practically already kissing. But they don't not yet. They've got all the time in the world to be together, or so they think. Right now, they just stare into each others eyes, and wonder why it took them this long. “How long have you known?” Boone asks, genuinely wanting to know. When she barged into his room that night, she said she always knew. It made him feel… vulnerable. Out in the open. He didn't mean to be an open book, but he knew that he always had been.

Boone thought he might get another harsh, annoyed response from Shannon, but instead, she replied uncharacteristically earnestly. “I was fifteen, I think. I was having a sleepover with Ashley, Jenn, and Kayla. And I remember whenever I spent the night at Jenn's house, her older brother was _always_ staring at me and her other friends. It was kinda fun, actually. It made us feel like women. So I totally expected you to do the same thing. We all decided to go swimming, even though it was like, 10 o'clock already, and you caught us sneaking out.”

“I remember that.”

“Three of my hottest friends, dressed in the skimpiest bikinis a fifteen year old girl could get her hands on, and you were only looking at me.” 

“Why didn't you tell me? That you knew?”

Shannon didn't respond at first. “Because… I don't know. I wish I did.” Before Boone had a chance to ask another question, she pressed her lips into his. 

They stayed like that for a while, kissing and cuddling for hours, as if to make up for time lost. And then, when the sun looked like it was about to rise up from below the horizon, Shannon returned to her earlier position, and pretended to sleep. They didn't say another word to each other.

As time moved forward on the island, they never again said aloud their feelings for each other. But with every look, every touch, every half-assed argument, they both knew.

And while Boone lay dying, with Jack hovering over him, he didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. He didn't get the chance to tell Shannon again. But she knew.

She knew.


End file.
